The elders return at dawn after braving a flood for 24 hours. Their clothes are soaked and their hands and legs are bruised, but they do not show despair. They are unable to find their son's albino buffalo. Despite their hardships and losses, the family does not complain and finds ways to enjoy each other's company. They are grateful for what they still have.

1. IN THE MIDST OF
HARDSHIP

3. IN THE MIDST OF
HARDSHIP by LATIFF MOHIDIN
SYNOPSIS
This poem tells of the hardship that a family in a village faces
after a big flood. The elders return at dawn in soaking-wet clothes.
They go straight to the kitchen. They are probably hungry. Their
hands and legs are bruised but they do not show any sign of despair
or of losing hope.
After braving the dreadful flood for the last 24 hours, they still
can not find their son’s albino buffalo.
Despite all the adversities and suffering, the people in the
poem do not complain or lament on their misfortunes. They spend
time together, enjoying each other’s company. They are grateful for
the fact what they still have instead of what is lost. Life goes on with
their daily chores of preparing food and habit of rolling their cigarette
leaves. They are still able to joke with one another.

4. A PICTURE SAYS A
THOUSAND WORDS
Aims
* To introduce the context of the poem
* To elicit from students feelings and
attitudes

5. Materials
 Pictures from newspaper cuttings of current
natural disasters such as the Padang
Earthquake, Tropical Storm Ketsana, Typhoon
Melor, Samoa or Vanuatu earthquake (See
Handout 1 for some examples)
 MPEG Video on 2004 Tsunami, Hurricane
Katrina Padang earthquake

6. Source : The Star, 4 October 2009

7. Source : The Star, 11 Oct 2009

9. Steps
Distribute Handout 1 and let
students talk about the pictures. Fill
in Worksheet 1 : Looking at
Pictures
 Ask students about their personal
experience in a flood, fire or
landslide.
 Let students watch a downloaded
video from youtube.com of a current
natural disaster

10.  Conduct open class discussion:
What do people do when
disaster strikes?
 Give students Worksheet 2
called “Find Someone Who….”
and instruct students to go
around the class to find the
various people with various
experiences in the set time
phase.

11. MPEG Video Websites
2004 Tsunami
http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=kpgsCaFe4sM
http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=WhuqKh
www.ogrish.com
Hurricane Katrina
http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=yB33kPIhBkc
Padang, Indonesia
earthquake
http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=Jnr9Mcg_jIo
( The following websites
were retrieved on 12
October 2009 )

12. ‘ GETTING-TO-KNOW-YOU’
TREASURE HUNT
Aims
Tofind out more
about the poet

13. Materials
 Worksheet 3
Strips containing information of
the poet
Handout 2

16. Steps
 Paste strips containing information of the poet
around the classroom - on the board, wall, table,
behind the chair, door, windows, etc.
 Get students to work in groups of four.
 Give each group Worksheet 3 with questions
asking for information related to Latiff Mohidin.
 Set a time frame for this activity.
 Decide on the winners. The first group with the
most number of correct answers will be the
winner.

17.  Give them a few minutes for discussion.
 Get them to present the character traits of
Mr Nobody to the class.
 Get the class to decide whether they
agree or disagree with the character traits
aforementioned. Advise them to give
reasons for their choice.

18. SHOW SOME EMOTION!
Aims
 To enable students to grasp the mood and
feelings of the poem

19. Materials
Emoticons
Worksheet 4
Handout 3

20. SHOW SOME EMOTION!
Which emoticons do you think will describe the feelings of the people in each stanza? Cut
and paste them on the handout given.

22. Steps
 Introduce emoticons that portray different
feelings.
 Get students to talk about the various
feelings shown. .
 Get students write down appropriate
words for each emoticon.
 Distribute Handout 3

23. Recite the poem with rhythm and
intonation.
Let students cut out and paste
emoticons on the section of the poem
that they feel appropriate.
Discuss the students’ options and let
them state the reasons why they have
chosen a certain emoticon.

24. THE SEARCH IS ON
AIMS
To allow students to
explore ways in which
figurative language is used
in the poem

25. Materials

Worksheet 5
Handout 4

28. Steps
Choose a figure of speech, for e.g.
simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, or
personification. Discuss its meaning
in class, and share examples.
Distribute Handout 4 and discuss it with
the students.
Give out a copy of Worksheet 5 to each
student. Write the word ‘Assonance’ on
the top line.

29.  Instruct students to look for
examples of assonance in the poem
they are reading.
 Let students write out the full line
with the figure of speech and the
line number(s) in each lens of the
binoculars.
 Instruct students to form groups of
four and discuss what each student
has found.
 Let students write out two lines
using either alliteration or

30. Note:
Step 6
is an
optiona
l
activity.
 Instruct students to form groups of
four and discuss what each student has
found.

31. ACROSTIC POEM
AIM
To enable students to
write simple poetry
using key words found
in the poem

32. Materials
 The Poetry Text
 Handout 5

33. Steps
Get each student to write a word from the
poem ( for e.g. despair, albino, hardship )
vertically on the left hand side of the
paper.
Ask the students to write a word or a
phrase that begins with each letter
creating a poem.
Tell them to use Handout 5 as a guide.

35. IN THE MIDST OF
HARDSHIP